Beliefs – Leaper || Powerful and strong shoegaze/dreampop albumBill Ryder-Jones – West Kirby County Primary || BRJ has been a great new find for me this year. His songs are full of emotion and the album is really, really good.Bill Wells – Nursery Rhymes || I am a big fan of Bill Wells. This time he works with nursery rhymes, and has a bunch of friends on the team, including Yo La Tengo, Isobell Campbell, Norman Blake and others.Chorusgirl – Chorusgirl || The debut from this German indiepop band, and it is great!Correatown – Embrace the fuzzy unknown || She is good with melodies! A very fine album from an interesting artist. Folk/pop.Cozy Catastrophes – Have you ever heard of Cozy Catastrophes? || A 14 song album of melodic, bittersweet, lovely indiepop. Very good album on Jigsaw.Detective agency – Now! || Finally their debut album arrived! Indiepop with jangly, fuzzy guitars.The Drink – Capital || Oh, I love this one. Unique sound, and very beautiful melodies.The Hermit Crabs – in my flat || So good to have them back! Great indiepop songs with strong lyrics.Jadudah – Strangers || A band from my old hometown Tromsø, and it is great to hear such a quality album from them.Jemima Surrender – the uninhabitated world ||This is so beautiful! A new find for me in 2015, and I quickly fell in love with them. Brilliant.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Paper mache dream balloon || Psych pop. Pleasant listen.Lusts – Illuminations || I love this album. The title track is one of my absolute fav songs on the year. Shoegazy pop.Michael Knight – Physics is out to get me || I have so much respect for Richie Murphy, who writes the songs for Michael Knight. His arrangements are so complex, but he manages to make them sound so simple and catchy. Genius. If you like The Beach Boys, you will find a lot of joy listening to this album. If you don’t like The Beach Boys, you’ll probably find a lot of joy listening to it as well. It is so good.Model Village – Healing Centre || The perfect pop album I needed.Postal Blue – Of love & other affections || One of the best indiepop albums of the year. It took some time to make, but the result is perfection. Some of the songs are amazingly beautiful.Radical Face – The bastards || This sneaked its way into my heart. Slowly. Not an instant love, but there are some really beautiful songs on it.Sports – All of something || Rough and jangly, but with some wonderful melodies.Strawberry Whiplash – Stuck in the never ending now || Another band I have missed, and it is nice to have them back with their infectious, sunshiny indiepop.Stutter Steps – Stutter Steps || A new find for me this year, and I am so happy I found them. Their warm indiepop is so good!Sunturns – Christmas II || The only christmas album I need.Tiny Fireflies – The Space Between || Kristine and Lisle make golden pop songs together. Her voice calms me down. The debut couldn’t be better!Tiny Ruins + Hamish Kilgour – Hurtling Through || I’m a big fan of Tiny Ruins. The new album took a while to get into, and wasn’t as instant as her other works, but it grew and grew and grew.Try the Pie – Rest || Lofi, bedroom-pop-ish, wonderful, honest, personal lyrics, great melodies. I love this album, and it means much to me. Try the Pie is a solo effort by Bean Kaloni Tupou, who has been in such bands as Sourpatch, Salt Flat, Crabapple and Plume. Acid Ghost – I want to hide my face and die. || One-man band Acid Ghost’s new album is really good. It feels like reading a book, because all the songs are like stories. Dreampop/shoegaze. (buy on Bandcamp)Jay Som – Untitled || This was a “Wow!” first time I heard it. I was completely stunned by the beauty of it. Lo-fi goodness. (buy on Bandcamp)

SINGLES I LOVED THIS MONTH

Andrew Keoghan

Andrew Keoghan – Stuck in melodies || One of the most beautiful songs I have heard this year.Bruising – Emo Friends/Honey || Lovely, lovely vocals and melodies. Indiepop. Two brilliant songs.Cavern of anti matter – melody in high feedback tones || Stereolab members make spacey kraut-pop.Charlie Hilton – pony || Former Blouse front woman makes beautiful music on her own. Out on Captured Tracks.Cigarettes after sex – Affection || In 2014, I didn’t know they excisted. In 2015, they’re one of my favourite bands. So amazingly good. The vocals could melt ice.Featherfin – The Crimson Spill/Nananarama || My own music, and since it means a lot to me, it deserves a place here. Dreampop.Haiku Salut – Things were happening and they were strange || Lovely folky semi-electronic music. Single from their beautiful album “Etch and etch deep”.Hinds – San Diego || Charming garage pop from Spain. Sounds like they have so much fun playing.Meilyr Jones – How to recognize a work of art || Another great single from former Race Horses singer.Nap Eyes – Mixer || Warm, lovely song from Nap Eyes.Parrot dream – Jungle || Dreamy, beautiful guitar pop, – in the veins of Beach House and Tennis.The Wharves – NAZ/My will ||Another of those singles that stuck in my heart in 2015. Love everything about it. Cool band. Reminds me a bit about Throwing Muses, both in style and attitude.

EPs I LOVED THIS MONTH

Juniore

Cloud – Patience through the storm || Very nice psych pop EP.The Echo Field – The Echo Field || Swedish pop perfection.Frankie Cosmos – Fit me in || Lofi bedroom pop.The Hanging Stars – The house on the hill || As they themselves describe their music: “a mix of lush harmonies, cosmic americana and tuneful folk”. Good 3 track EP. Love the artwork!Juniore – Marabout || This is a very, very interesting French band. Reminds me a bit about Stereolab, which is always good.Onward Chariots – Take me to somewhere || An old favourite here at Eardrums Music. This EP is, if I understand it correctly, a mix of old and new songs, and it sounds – as always – brilliant. Harmony-filled indiepop with interesting arrangements.Elizabeth Morris – Athens || Allo Darlin’-singer’s second solo EP is her best. Lovely, lovely, lovely! (buy on Bandcamp)Les Bicyclettes de Belsize – The bicycle thieves || Sweet, nostalgic, 60s inspired indiepop. (buy on Bandcamp)Marc Elston – Normandie by sundown || Marc Elston writes lovely songs. Great melodic indiepop. (buy on Bandcamp)